Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is in talks to replace Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3 as antagonist and wizard Gellert Grindelwald, reported Deadline on Wednesday.
Mikkelsen is best known for his roles in Hannibal, Doctor Strange and Casino Royale.
On November 7, Depp announced that he has stepped down from the role of Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, a spinoff of the Harry Potter series, after Warner Bros. asked him to resign from the role after he lost a libel case against UK tabloid The Sun, which tagged him as “wife-beater” in a 2018 article.
The studio had confirmed that Depp’s role will be recast. Though the film’s shooting was halted in March due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the makers had reportedly resumed shooting in the UK in September.
According to a report by Variety, Depp had shot for just one scene before being asked to resign. He will be receiving his full salary for the scene, a report by The Hollywood Reporter stated. The report also mentioned that Depp had a pay-or-play contract, which permitted him to be fully compensated whether or not the film was being made or if he was replaced.
Recommended
Helmed by David Yates, the film stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Jude Law, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, and Ezra Miller in pivotal roles. The script has been written by Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Steve Kloves. Rowling, Kloves, David Heyman, and Lionel Wigram are producing the film, which is expected to release on July 15, 2022, according to Deadline.
Depp had a cameo appearance in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), the first film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. He reprised his role in the 2018 sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.